Mother’s Day is just a round the corner and while we all love to give and receive flowers, sometimes it’s nice to make something extra special to give mum!

We’ve put together a simple instructional that you can follow along with to create your very own terrarium to give to a loved one…or keep yourself!

A key thing to remember when choosing your plants is to look for those that prefer shade and can handle high humidity but will also stay small in size (or can be pruned back every now and then). Ferns are a great option and tend to survive well inside a terrarium. We used mostly ferns in our terrariums, including baby boomers, hypoestes and filicales retrosa.

How to make a terrarium

1. Ensure your container is clean before you start planting! Start by adding a layer of pebbles or gravel. We’ve used white pebbles in ours.

2. Add a layer of activated charcoal. This is important as it combines with the pebbles to create layers of drainage.

3. Add your layer of sphagnum moss. You will need to rehydrate the moss by soaking it in a little water, but check the packet for instructions.

4. Add the layer of potting soil, sprinkling it over the sphagnum moss. The amount of soil you use will depend on the depth of the terrarium and the length of the plants’ roots. Around two or three inches of soil should be fine but make sure you pack it down and remove air pockets, making it level.

5. Dig small holes where you intend on planting the plants. To add your plants, remove them from their containers and carefully tease the roots apart, removing excess soil. Gently place the plant in the hole you made and pad it down with a little more soil. Repeat with remaining plants!

6. Decorate with more pebbles or different types of rocks and statues. Lightly water your terrarium with a spray bottle and you’re done!

Bonus tip: If you’re more of a black thumb than green, you can purchase an air plant (we found a very pretty tillandsia) to place inside your terrarium. Add a few crystals and… tadah! Instant terrarium. Give your air plant a spray every few days or a soak once a week and it will last forever!

All terrariums are available in selected Tree of Life stores and online. Don’t forget to share your results with us on Instagram via @treeoflife_love! We love to see and appreciate your creations!